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International Journal of Research and Education (IJRE)
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Stylistics Analysis of the Poem "Ambulance"

by Philip Larkin
Abdul Bari Khan and Muhammad Yasir Khan
Department of English Language and Literature
Chenab College of Advance Studies, Mianwali
e-mail: a.barikhan43@yahoo.com

Received: 11/09/16 - Accepted: 28/09/16

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.19239/ijrev1n3p1

Abstract: Philip Larkin is known as a movement poet, because there are many poems which were published in the book of
poetic movement, New Lines. This movement was started in 1950, against the unreasonable, inflated and extortionate
romanticism of 1930's and 1940's. The common features of movement poetry are; the use of irony and wit, an element of
satire, the loneliness of modern man, pessimistic outlook on life, realism, use of ordinary diction, use of symbols, and loss of
religious faith. Robert Conquest is known as the representative poet of this movement. The poets of this movement believed
that the language of poetry should be simple, lucid and intelligible. The poem Ambulance deals with the important features of
movement poetry. Through the stylistics study of this poem the researchers will show the loneliness and concept of death in
modern man.

Keywords: Stylistics Analysis, Ambulance, Pessimism, Loneliness, Modernism

1. Introduction 2. Materials y Methods

This is a very famous poem of Philip Larkin written in 10
January 1961. This poem is about the horrors of death and
the impact of dying person on the others people around him.
Ambulances can be seen in almost every street and at every
corner. They are used for taking a sick man, a dead body or a
man who got an accident to the hospital. When an ambulance
reached at the gate of a house its siren make other person to
think about the sick man and at the same time about their
own death. The sight of ambulance makes the people that
human life is meaningless and everything in the world is
temporary. People feel sympathy for the person being taken
to the hospital and call that man a poor soul. But the main
problem with man is he forgot that very scene just after few
minutes the ambulance departs. The poet describes the
condition of sick old man before his death and after he is
being taken to hospital in ambulance. The poem has a very
pessimistic tone and deals with the theme of death. Word
ambulance occurs not in any stanza of the poem but the poet
has used such words in poem which suggest use that the
poem is about ambulance and this is the real art of Philip
Larkin.
This research work deals with the famous poem
“Ambulance” by Philip Larkin. This research is analytical,
further prescriptive in nature. The researchers have used
many approaches to get the data for this study but, mainly got
material from the already published material.
The researcher have used the methods of stylistic analysis
offered by Geoffrey Leech and Mick Short as stated in their
works “A Linguistic Guide to English Poetry” Longman
(1969) and “Exploring the Language of Poems, Plays, and
Prose (1996) respectively.
Research Questions:
• Why modern man is alone in the world?
• What is concept of death in the minds of modern
man?
• What are the common features of Larkin's poetry?
Objectives:
• To analyze the poem stylistically.
• To analyze the lucid language of the poem.
• To discuss the dilemma of modern man.

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 International Journal of Research and Education (IJRE)

The Poem:
AMBULANCE
Closed like confessionals, they thread
Loud noons of cities, giving back
None of the glances they absorb.
Light glossy grey, arms on a plaque,
They come to rest at any kerb:
All streets in time are visited.
Leech and Short (1981) is of the view that, "The word style
has an uncontroversial meaning. Style depends on the context
for a given purpose for which the language is being used".
Leech and Short (1981) also said that, "It is the selection of
the words from a grand linguistic vocabulary".
Short and Candlin (1989) said that, "Stylistics is a linguistic
approach to texts".

Then children strewn on steps or road, According to Freeman (1971), "Stylistics is a sub-discipline
Or women coming from the shops which started in the second half of the 20th century".
Past smells of different dinners, see
A wild white face that overtops 4. STYLISTICS ANALYSIS OF THE POEM:
Red stretcher-blankets momently
As it is carried in and stowed, The researchers have analyzed the poem with great care and
attention to produce a quality product. The researchers have
And sense the solving emptiness analysed all the figure of Speeches in the poem. Different
That lies just under all we do, figures of Speech in this poem are as under:
And for a second get it whole,
So permanent and blank and true.
The fastened doors recede. Poor soul, 4.1. Form:
They whisper at their own distress;
Form of this poem is five stanzas with six lines each as in
For borne away in deadened air first stanza;
May go the sudden shut of loss
Round something nearly at an end, "Closed like
And what cohered in it across confessionals, they
The years, the unique random blend thread
Of families and fashions, there Loud noons of cities,
giving back
At last begin to loosen. Far None of the glances
From the exchange of love to lie they absorb.
Unreachable inside a room Light glossy grey, arms
The traffic parts to let go by on a plaque,
Brings closer what is left to come, They come to rest at
And dulls to distance all we are. any kerb:
All streets in time are
visited."
3. Literature Review
4.2. Rhyme Scheme:
Widdowson (1975) defines stylistics as, “The study of
literary discourse from a linguistic orientation”. The rhyme scheme of this poem is ABCBCA, for example
in second stanza "road" in first line is rhymed with "stowed"
Adejare (1992) makes this clear when he said that, "Style is in last line, "shops" of second line is rhymed with "overtops"
an ambiguous term". of forth line and "see" of third line is rhymed with
"momently" of fifth line.
Lawal (1997) also added that, "It may be reckoned in terms
of the sociolinguistic contexts and it may also be reckoned or “Then children strewn on
analyzed on linguistic, semantic and even semiotic terms". steps or road,

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Or women coming from The fastened doors

the shops recede. Poor soul,
Past smells of different They whisper at their
dinners, see own distress;"
A wild white face that
overtops 4.5. Simile:
Red stretcher-blankets
momently Simile is there in very first line of the poem where poet has
As it is carried in and compared ambulance with a confessionals box. Confessionals
stowed,” boxes are those boxes in which a priest listen to the
confessions of people to release them of their sense of
4.3. Alliteration: wrongdoing.

Alliteration is there in first line of first stanza “Closed like confessionals, they thread”
"Closed like confessionals, they thread"
4.6. Imagery:
Alliteration is there in forth line of first stanza
"Light glossy grey, arms on a In second stanza Larkin gives us a complete image of an
plaque," effected site where an ambulance is taking a body to hospital.
Children are playing, women are coming from shopping and
Alliteration is there in third line of second stanza few people are doing dinner in the hotels. It is important to
"Past smells of different dinners, see" mention that Larkin images are not visual or auditory but at
the same time his images are concerned with the sense of
Fourth line of second stanza also contains alliteration smell and taste.
"A wild white face that overtops"
“Then children strewn
Alliteration is also there in second line of fourth stanza on steps or road,
"May go the sudden shut of loss" Or women coming
from the shops
Last line of fourth stanza also has alliteration Past smells of different
"Of families and fashions, there" dinners, see
A wild white face that
Last line of last stanza also has alliteration overtops
"And dulls to distance all we Red stretcher-blankets
are." momently
As it is carried in and
4.4. Repetition: stowed,”

In third stanza there is a repetition of word "And" for four 4.7. Metaphor:
times, just deliver the idea that death is a bitter truth and we
can't make an escape from it. Metaphor is there in first line of the first stanza by using
the phrase "they thread". Larkin has used his phrase in the
"And sense the solving poem just to show clear picture of the site of casualty.
emptiness
That lies just under all “Closed like
we do, confessionals, they thread”
And for a second get it
whole, 4.8. Onomatopoeia:
So permanent and blank
and true. In poetry when a word presents the sounds that are like the
noises it is known as onomatopoeia. In last line of third
stanza there is Onomatopoeia.
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 International Journal of Research and Education (IJRE)

“They whisper at their 5. Conclusions

own distress;”
Last line of last stanza also contains onomatopoeia where
words describe the sound of ambulance bells.
“And dulls to distance
all we are.”
4.9. Oxymoron:
When two words used together and they have different
meanings then it is known as oxymoron. Oxymoron is there
in last two lines of the fourth stanza where poet tells us
common and unique part of our life, after the death and
before the death.
It very important to note that Larkin has never used the word
ambulance even a single time in the poem but the choises of
word used by him are very well. It looks like he is master of
playing with words and use the words to meet the
requirements of wide readership.Larkin’s poem "Ambulance"
has a very pessimistic theme but the poet is surely very
successful in creating a solemn tone to deliver the message
that death will come to us all. By using the ambulance as a
symbol, that is something from daily life that we may see in
any corner of the street at any time, he realized us that this
could well happen to us. Just like in this poem, Larkin
artfully borrow a variety of poetic technique to describe a
daily life experience and to make it important and significant
to a wider readership.

“The years, the unique

random blend
Of families and References
fashions, there”
Adejare, O. (1992) Language and Style in Soyinka: A
4.10. Enjambment: systematic Text and Linguistic Study of Literary Dialect.
Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books.
In poetry when one idea runs over from one stanza to next
stanza its known as Enjambment. Enjambment is there in Freeman, D.C. (ed.) (1971), Linguistics and literary Style,
fourth and fifth stanza of the poem where idea of fourth New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
stanza runs over to fifth stanza.
Lawal, R. A. (1997), Pragmatics in Stylistics: A speech Act
“Of families and Analysis of Soyinka’s 5. Telephone Conversation,
fashions, there”
Leech, G. and Short, M.H. (1981), Style in Fiction: A
“At last begin to loosen. Far” linguistic introduction to English Fictional prose, London:
Longman.
4.11. Themes:
Short, M., & Candlin, C. (1989). Teaching study skills for
Isolation, death, busy life of city, materialism and English literature in reading, analysing and teaching
loneliness are the themes of this poem and as Larkin is a literature. London: Longman.
modern poet so all his poems contain these themes.
Loneliness and isolation are the major themes and they fit Widdowson, H.G. (1975), Stylistics and the teaching of
with the life of modern men. literature, London: Longman Group Ltd.

4.12. Symbolism:

Ambulance is the major symbol in this poem. Ambulance

symbolizes death, road accident, illness and diseases.

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